10 Hamstring Stretches Your Tight, Achy Legs Will Love

Coping with achy stiffness behind your thighs could be a actual ache within the butt. Happily, the perfect hamstring stretches could be a balm for tight and cranky legs, offering candy, candy aid.

And that’s one thing numerous people can rejoice. That’s as a result of tight hamstrings are “quite common,” Natalie Frizzell, PT, DPT, an train and sports activities bodily therapist with FX Bodily Remedy, tells SELF. There are a bunch of the explanation why—and in addition a bunch of various stretches you are able to do to assist. Under, necessary intel on the causes and repercussions of tight hammies, how you can loosen them up, and 10 bodily therapist-approved hamstring stretches that can just do that.

What’s the root reason for tight hamstrings?

There are many causes why tight hamstrings occur. A very widespread one is on a regular basis we spend sitting on our butts, bodily therapist and run coach Kimberly Melvan, DPT, CSCS, tells SELF. “Whenever you’re in that sitting place, it shortens the muscular tissues,” she explains. So in the event you’re doing that for lengthy intervals of time, stiffness can begin to creep in. Being inactive typically also can contribute. “Simply not utilizing them could cause them to tighten up”, Dr. Melvan provides.

Weak glutes are one other offender, since that causes the hamstrings to tackle extra work to increase the hips, Dr. Melvan explains. When the hammies get overworked, they will tighten up.

Different contributing elements embrace having weak hamstrings, a historical past of hamstring strains, flexibility points in different muscular tissues, or motor management points within the hips or knee joints, Dhara Shah, PT, DPT, bodily therapist in outpatient rehab at Emory College Hospital and spokesperson for the American Bodily Remedy Affiliation, tells SELF.

Genetics could also be at play too; a few of us simply have tight hamstrings due to our DNA, Dr. Frizzell says.

Lastly, it won’t should do with the muscular tissues themselves, both. Generally when you might have tight hamstrings, the muscle itself isn’t shortened, however quite there’s tightness within the myofascia, which is connective tissue that surrounds and interweaves a number of muscular tissues, Dr. Shah explains. When a muscle is injured or put underneath additional stress, myofascial set off factors—mainly, irritable spots within the muscle—can type and trigger ache. Your hammies also can really feel tight when there’s restricted blood movement to them. “If muscular tissues don’t get sufficient oxygen from applicable blood movement, it could trigger ache or discomfort,” Dr. Shah explains.

Tight hamstrings don’t really feel nice, however can they put you liable to harm?

Right here’s the factor: “Tight hamstrings don’t at all times equate to harm or ache,” Dr. Melvan says. Some folks could have tight hamstrings and be simply effective. However different instances, they will trigger issues in surrounding muscular tissues and joints. “If you do not have sufficient movement in a single space, you may see points in one other space,” Dr. Melvan explains. “The again, hips, knees—all of these can have points if the hamstrings are tight.” That’s as a result of tight hammies can shift your motion patterns, change your posture, and restrict your vary of movement, she says. And these alterations can result in different muscular tissues taking up extra stress than they’re designed to, in the end upping the probabilities of ache and harm.